Two left-handers who have been very successful
Posted: June 25th, 2019, 9:12 pm
Kyle Freeland starts for the Colorado Rockies against Steven Matz of the New York Mets.
The Rockies will be looking to win the four-game series after winning their second straight game over the Mets 10-8 on Wednesday. Colorado will also be trying to avoid a dubious major league record. The Rockies have allowed at least eight runs in each of their past nine home games Jamel Dean Jersey , tied with the St. Louis Browns in 1894 for the longest such streak.
Freeland (6-6, 3.59 ERA) has made 14 starts, half of which the Rockies have won. He worked a season-high seven innings for the fourth time this season in his last start Saturday at Texas. Freeland allowed two runs in seven innings, ending up with no-decision in Colorado’s 5-2 loss.
In his past 10 starts, Freeland, 25, is 6-3 with a 2.89 ERA and has limited opposing hitters to a .237 average and a .646 OPS in that stretch. He’s 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in two career games (one start) against the Mets. The start was on May 6 at Citi Field this season when Freeland, the winning pitcher, allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings with eight strikeouts and one walk in Colorado’s 3-2 victory.
In eight starts at Coors Field this season, Freeland is 3-2 with a 2.93 ERA. A Denver native who grew up pitching in the city’s mile-high altitude, Freeland is 9-10 with a 3.52 ERA in 24 career games (21 starts) at Coors Field and has never been fazed by the hitter-friendly ballpark.
“In my mind, it’s baseball,” Freeland said. “You have to make your pitches, no matter where you’re at. Home runs are going to be home runs. People are going to hit good pitches here. People are going to hit bad pitches here. If you don’t execute the pitch and they get whacked out of the park, it’s going to happen here; it’s going to happen at sea level.
“Things can snowball on you quicker here just because of how large our outfield is. But you still have to have that mentality of I can get out of this jam here.”
While winning his last start, Matz (3-4 D.K. Metcalf Jersey , 3.31) gave up one run in 6 2/3 innings Saturday at Arizona in the Mets’ 5-1 triumph. Matz lost 2-0 to the Rockies at Citi Field on May 5, giving up one run and three hits in six innings. He’s 0-3, 6.50 in four career starts against the Rockies and 0-0, 5.40 in one start at Coors Field.
In his past five starts, Matz, 27, is 2-1 with a 1.88 ERA. During that stretch, Matz has allowed two or fewer runs in four of the five outings, and opposing batters are hitting .208 with a .609 OPS.
“He’s in a good place mentally,” New York pitching coach Dave Eiland said. “He’s in attack mode, where he’s attacking the hitters. Early in the year, he was a little bit unsure of himself, not really trusting his stuff as much. So therefore, he wasn’t in attack mode. And when the first little thing would go wrong … he would kind of lose his concentration, his focus, and it would affect the next few pitches and might make the difference in his outing.
“He’s worked really hard at letting things go that are out of his control and just focusing on things he can control. And once he started doing it , he got back to believing in himself, trusting his stuff, attacking the strike zone, attacking the hitters.”
At this point after nearly a month of superb pitching, Matz has a reservoir of success to draw upon when things do go wrong.
“I’m sure it still eats at him a little bit,” Eiland said, “but he doesn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve, so to speak.”
The Tennessee Titans have split with coach Mike Mularkey after he revived a team with the NFL’s worst record over two seasons and led them to their first playoff victory in 14 years.
The Titans announced the move two days after a 35-14 loss to New England in the AFC divisional round.
Controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk says in a statement they discussed extending his contract during the past week. But she says they saw different paths to take the team to greater success.
General manager Jon Robinson will oversee his first coaching search with the Titans. He was hired two days before Mularkey had the interim title removed in January 2016,
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – A person familiar with the negotiations says the Indianapolis Colts are ”close” to reaching a deal to hire Josh McDaniels as their new coach.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were still working on the contract.
But even if the two sides agreed to a deal, the official announcement couldn’t be made until New England’s season ends. McDaniels is the Patriots offensive coordinator and is preparing for Sunday’s AFC championship game.
McDaniels has been one of the most coveted coordinators on the coaching carousel this year.
McDaniels and Houston defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel are believed to be the Colts’ finalists.
McDaniels went 11-17 in two seasons as Denver’s head coach in 2009-10.
BASEBALL
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The Giants acquired Andrew McCutchen from the Pittsburgh Pirates for right-hander Kyle Crick, minor league outfielder Bryan Reynolds and $500,000 in international signing bonus allocation.
Pittsburgh also will send the Giants cash to cover part of McCutchen’s $14.75 million salary.
McCutchen become the second star jettisoned by the Pirates in three days, following Saturday’s trade that sent ace Gerrit Cole to Houston.
Earlier in the offseason, the Giants acquired third baseman Evan Longoria from Tampa Bay.
McCutchen, the 2013 NL MVP, takes over in center from Denard Span o was traded to the Rays in the Longoria deal. San Francisco wanted more production and steady defense from the center field position after a surprising last-place season in the NL West.
The reliable, durable 31-year-old McCutchen has played at least 153 games in each of the past three seasons for the Pirates, batting .279 with 28 home runs and 88 RBIs in 156 games in 2017. But he has not been an All-Star since 2015, when he was selected for the fifth straight season.
HOCKEY
ST. LOUIS (AP) – Mike Shanahan, who owned the St. Louis Blues from 1986-91 and oversaw the acquisition of Hall of Famer Brett Hull, has died. He was 78.
Blues Chairman Tom Stillman confirmed Shanahan’s death in a statement. Stillman said Shanahan ”set a shining example of leadership both on and off the ice” and ”captivated Blues fans and made an immeasurable impact on the organization.”
No cause of death was announced.
After selling his ownership stake, Shanahan stayed on as team chairman until 1994 and the Blues aggressively sought out a number of NHL stars during his time with the team. Hull came over in a trade with Calgary in 1988, and forward Adam Oates and goalie Curtis Joseph joined the team in 1989. St. Louis signed defenseman Scott Stevens to a big contract in 1990, then lost him in arbitration a year later as punishment for signing restricted free agent Brendan Shanahan away from New Jersey.
Hull called Mike Shanahan a ”very special man” on Twitter, adding that ”he made people better and I know I am better having known him.”
OLYMPICS
KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) – Jamaica is sending a women’s bobsled team to the Olympics for the first time.
Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian, who drove for the U.S. at the 2014 Sochi Games, will pilot the Jamaican sled in the Pyeongchang Olympics next month. It’ll likely be pushed by Carrie Russell, a sprinter who helped Jamaica win gold in the 4×100-meter relay at the 2013 world track and field championships.
Audra Segree was also picked as a brakeman for the Jamaican team.
Fenlator finished 11th with brakeman Lolo Jones for the Americans in Sochi.
There will be 20 sleds in the women’s bobsled event in Pyeongchang. These Olympics mark the 30th anniversary of Jamaica’s famed men’s bobsled debut at the Calgary Games.
The Rockies will be looking to win the four-game series after winning their second straight game over the Mets 10-8 on Wednesday. Colorado will also be trying to avoid a dubious major league record. The Rockies have allowed at least eight runs in each of their past nine home games Jamel Dean Jersey , tied with the St. Louis Browns in 1894 for the longest such streak.
Freeland (6-6, 3.59 ERA) has made 14 starts, half of which the Rockies have won. He worked a season-high seven innings for the fourth time this season in his last start Saturday at Texas. Freeland allowed two runs in seven innings, ending up with no-decision in Colorado’s 5-2 loss.
In his past 10 starts, Freeland, 25, is 6-3 with a 2.89 ERA and has limited opposing hitters to a .237 average and a .646 OPS in that stretch. He’s 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in two career games (one start) against the Mets. The start was on May 6 at Citi Field this season when Freeland, the winning pitcher, allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings with eight strikeouts and one walk in Colorado’s 3-2 victory.
In eight starts at Coors Field this season, Freeland is 3-2 with a 2.93 ERA. A Denver native who grew up pitching in the city’s mile-high altitude, Freeland is 9-10 with a 3.52 ERA in 24 career games (21 starts) at Coors Field and has never been fazed by the hitter-friendly ballpark.
“In my mind, it’s baseball,” Freeland said. “You have to make your pitches, no matter where you’re at. Home runs are going to be home runs. People are going to hit good pitches here. People are going to hit bad pitches here. If you don’t execute the pitch and they get whacked out of the park, it’s going to happen here; it’s going to happen at sea level.
“Things can snowball on you quicker here just because of how large our outfield is. But you still have to have that mentality of I can get out of this jam here.”
While winning his last start, Matz (3-4 D.K. Metcalf Jersey , 3.31) gave up one run in 6 2/3 innings Saturday at Arizona in the Mets’ 5-1 triumph. Matz lost 2-0 to the Rockies at Citi Field on May 5, giving up one run and three hits in six innings. He’s 0-3, 6.50 in four career starts against the Rockies and 0-0, 5.40 in one start at Coors Field.
In his past five starts, Matz, 27, is 2-1 with a 1.88 ERA. During that stretch, Matz has allowed two or fewer runs in four of the five outings, and opposing batters are hitting .208 with a .609 OPS.
“He’s in a good place mentally,” New York pitching coach Dave Eiland said. “He’s in attack mode, where he’s attacking the hitters. Early in the year, he was a little bit unsure of himself, not really trusting his stuff as much. So therefore, he wasn’t in attack mode. And when the first little thing would go wrong … he would kind of lose his concentration, his focus, and it would affect the next few pitches and might make the difference in his outing.
“He’s worked really hard at letting things go that are out of his control and just focusing on things he can control. And once he started doing it , he got back to believing in himself, trusting his stuff, attacking the strike zone, attacking the hitters.”
At this point after nearly a month of superb pitching, Matz has a reservoir of success to draw upon when things do go wrong.
“I’m sure it still eats at him a little bit,” Eiland said, “but he doesn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve, so to speak.”
The Tennessee Titans have split with coach Mike Mularkey after he revived a team with the NFL’s worst record over two seasons and led them to their first playoff victory in 14 years.
The Titans announced the move two days after a 35-14 loss to New England in the AFC divisional round.
Controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk says in a statement they discussed extending his contract during the past week. But she says they saw different paths to take the team to greater success.
General manager Jon Robinson will oversee his first coaching search with the Titans. He was hired two days before Mularkey had the interim title removed in January 2016,
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – A person familiar with the negotiations says the Indianapolis Colts are ”close” to reaching a deal to hire Josh McDaniels as their new coach.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were still working on the contract.
But even if the two sides agreed to a deal, the official announcement couldn’t be made until New England’s season ends. McDaniels is the Patriots offensive coordinator and is preparing for Sunday’s AFC championship game.
McDaniels has been one of the most coveted coordinators on the coaching carousel this year.
McDaniels and Houston defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel are believed to be the Colts’ finalists.
McDaniels went 11-17 in two seasons as Denver’s head coach in 2009-10.
BASEBALL
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The Giants acquired Andrew McCutchen from the Pittsburgh Pirates for right-hander Kyle Crick, minor league outfielder Bryan Reynolds and $500,000 in international signing bonus allocation.
Pittsburgh also will send the Giants cash to cover part of McCutchen’s $14.75 million salary.
McCutchen become the second star jettisoned by the Pirates in three days, following Saturday’s trade that sent ace Gerrit Cole to Houston.
Earlier in the offseason, the Giants acquired third baseman Evan Longoria from Tampa Bay.
McCutchen, the 2013 NL MVP, takes over in center from Denard Span o was traded to the Rays in the Longoria deal. San Francisco wanted more production and steady defense from the center field position after a surprising last-place season in the NL West.
The reliable, durable 31-year-old McCutchen has played at least 153 games in each of the past three seasons for the Pirates, batting .279 with 28 home runs and 88 RBIs in 156 games in 2017. But he has not been an All-Star since 2015, when he was selected for the fifth straight season.
HOCKEY
ST. LOUIS (AP) – Mike Shanahan, who owned the St. Louis Blues from 1986-91 and oversaw the acquisition of Hall of Famer Brett Hull, has died. He was 78.
Blues Chairman Tom Stillman confirmed Shanahan’s death in a statement. Stillman said Shanahan ”set a shining example of leadership both on and off the ice” and ”captivated Blues fans and made an immeasurable impact on the organization.”
No cause of death was announced.
After selling his ownership stake, Shanahan stayed on as team chairman until 1994 and the Blues aggressively sought out a number of NHL stars during his time with the team. Hull came over in a trade with Calgary in 1988, and forward Adam Oates and goalie Curtis Joseph joined the team in 1989. St. Louis signed defenseman Scott Stevens to a big contract in 1990, then lost him in arbitration a year later as punishment for signing restricted free agent Brendan Shanahan away from New Jersey.
Hull called Mike Shanahan a ”very special man” on Twitter, adding that ”he made people better and I know I am better having known him.”
OLYMPICS
KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) – Jamaica is sending a women’s bobsled team to the Olympics for the first time.
Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian, who drove for the U.S. at the 2014 Sochi Games, will pilot the Jamaican sled in the Pyeongchang Olympics next month. It’ll likely be pushed by Carrie Russell, a sprinter who helped Jamaica win gold in the 4×100-meter relay at the 2013 world track and field championships.
Audra Segree was also picked as a brakeman for the Jamaican team.
Fenlator finished 11th with brakeman Lolo Jones for the Americans in Sochi.
There will be 20 sleds in the women’s bobsled event in Pyeongchang. These Olympics mark the 30th anniversary of Jamaica’s famed men’s bobsled debut at the Calgary Games.